Nirvana, enlightenment, awakening, satori, kensho—all of these terms have been used to describe the ideal result of Buddhist practice.

And yet, the cessation achieved by arhats in the early scriptures has seemingly nothing to do with the awakening described in the stories of Zen. Can we speak of them as having anything in common other than the designation “Buddhist”? And how might these various understandings of the goal define our own practice?

In this class we will use primary source material from a variety of Buddhist traditions, both ancient and modern, to investigate descriptions of this elusive ideal. Reading materials will be provided. Some writing and class presentations may be required.

Kai Ji Jeffrey SchneiderKai Ji Jeffrey Schneider is a priest at Zen Center, where he has lived, worked and practiced since 1978. The founder of the Zen Center recovery programs, he is currently the Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator.